NFL Player News

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur declined Wednesday to name a starting quarterback, though Brissett reported for the start of mandatory minicamp on Monday, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

LaFleur's lack of an answer when asked about Arizona's starting quarterback may partially be posturing, after Brissett held out of voluntary workouts earlier in the offseason due to dissatisfaction with his current contract. It wouldn't be out of the question, however, for the Cardinals to host a competition that includes backup Gardner Minshew and rookie third-rounder Carson Beck if the team suspects Brissett will enact a "hold in" as the offseason progresses. Brissett is heading into the final season of his two-year deal and is slated to carry a $4.88 million salary in 2026. Earlier in the offseason, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports that Arizona informed Brissett (who was in attendance for Tuesday's minicamp practice but did not participate) he would be the team's starter for 2026.

McCarthy and free-agent addition Kyler Murray shared QB reps during Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice, Lindsey Young of the Vikings' official site reports.

Fellow signal callers Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer remain in the reserve mix, while Kevin Seifert of ESPN relays that Murray was on the field for the first QB snaps during team drills Tuesday, after which McCarthy took about an equal number of snaps with the starters -- as was the trend during the media-access portions of Minnesota's OTAs. Per Seifert, Murray is viewed as the favorite to win the the team's ongoing quarterback competition, but at this stage the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft continues his transition to a new offensive system while splitting work with McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in 2024, who is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he threw for 1,632 yards with an 11:12 TD:INT in 10 regular-season starts.

Sanders and Deshaun Watson are slated to continue splitting first-team QB reps during the Browns' mandatory minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Sanders took first-team reps Tuesday, while Watson will get them Wednesday. The two are then in line to split those reps Thursday. Coach Todd Monken had hoped to have established a pecking order by now, but he acknowledged Tuesday that he's unlikely to name a starter by the end of the minicamp. Watson appeared to have the advantage early this offseason, but Sanders seems to have closed the gap. Per Monken, "they both played well enough to earn out the right to compete to start," and as a result this is a job battle that figures to carry over into training camp.

Murray was on the field for the first snaps of team drills during Tuesday's mandatory minicamp session, Kevin Seifert of ESPN reports.

Though Murray was out there first Tuesday, J.J. McCarthy took about an equal number of snaps with the starters, which was also the case during the media-access portions of the Vikings' OTAs. At this stage, a decision on the team's starting quarterback doesn't appear imminent, with Murray acknowledging that sharing reps with McCarthy has been challenging as he adjusts to a new offensive system. Murray remains the favorite to win the top job, but McCarthy -- who Minnesota took 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft -- still has time to change that narrative ahead of Week 1.

Coach Todd Monken acknowledged Tuesday that he's unlikely to name either Watson or Shedeur Sanders as his starting quarterback by the conclusion of minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Monken had hoped to have a better idea of the pecking order by then, but it looks like the competition will carry over into training camp. With that in mind, the new head coach said that Watson and Sanders have "both played well enough to earn out the right to compete to start." While Sanders took all the Browns' first-team QB reps during Tuesday's practice, Watson will take them Wednesday, and on Thursday the two will split those reps.

Burrow agreed to a restructured contract Tuesday, creating $10 million in cap space for the Bengals, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Burrow very likely converted a sizable chunk of his $25.25 million salary for 2026 into a bonus. The two-time Comeback Player of the Year has four years remaining on his current five-year, $275 million deal and is tied with a handful of other quarterbacks for second in AAV at $55 million a season, behind Dak Prescott's $60 million per year. Burrow has missed a combined 16 games to injuries over the past three seasons, but during a 2024 season in which he started all 17 regular-season contests, he led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43).

McKee has been working as the clear third quarterback behind Jalen Hurts and Andy Dalton during spring practices, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

McKee was excellent in his lone 2025 preseason appearance, completing 20 of 25 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns while adding a third score on the ground. He looked like someone the Eagles could dangle in trade talks to a team looking to develop a potential starter at QB. However, McKee then disappointed in a Week 18 spot start against the Commanders, going 21-for-40 for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception while absorbing three sacks in a 24-17 loss. The Eagles traded for Dalton in March, and it looks like McKee has been bumped down the depth chart as a result.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to announce Monday whether or not Penix (knee) will be ready to handle 11-on-11 reps during mandatory minicamp next week, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reports.

Stefanski said during OTAs in May that clearance for Penix to handle team reps would be "coming soon" and that the quarterback has impressed in 7-on-7 drills, but it remains to be seen whether the 2024 first-round pick will be on the field for full-team activities during minicamp. The 26-year-old had a scheduled day off Monday, and Stefanski said he is "hitting every milestone he's supposed to hit" in his rehab. Penix is recovering from mid-November surgery to repair a partially torn left ACL. Stefanski also noted that Atlanta's quarterback competition between Penix and Tua Tagovailoa will not truly begin until both players are available for full-team reps.

Brissett reported for the start of mandatory minicamp Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Brissett would've been subject to fines if he didn't show up for minicamp after he stayed away from the Cardinals during voluntary workouts earlier this offseason. It's unclear if Brissett is giving up on his quest for more money or if he'll "hold in" during minicamp and training camp in an effort to squeeze some guaranteed money out of Arizona. The veteran quarterback is in the final year of a two-year deal and is set to collect a $4.88 million salary for 2026 as his contract currently stands.

Brissett is expected to report to the Cardinals' minicamp this week, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Brissett has been away from the team as he's been holding out to get an increase in pay for the 2026 campaign, but the quarterback will at least be in attendance this week. It's unclear how much he'll participate, but his arrival is still a notable development. Brissett is coming off of a 2025 campaign during which he completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing eight interceptions over 14 contests with Arizona.